1. False Dilemma & The Crucible
By: RJ Baise
&
Jaime Kinslow

2. Definition
False dilemma occurs when a speaker makes a claim that there is a very limited range of choices for a specific situation.
- Example:
Either _________ or _________ .
-In False Dilemma, you are made to think that you only have those two options and no others.

3. In this image, You have two options, either go to the right or go to le left. But we know there are more directions other than left and right.
In this political cartoon, either you are for defense spending or you are against it. But we know that there could be stipulations in your opinion.

4. Universal Examples of False Dilemma
- In this video, either “You’ve got it or you don’t”. Through the beginning of the video, there are really ‘cool’ people who have no flaws and there are the people who keep messing up. Whether or not you have “the juice” determines which of those two people you will be. But obviously that isn't true

5. False Dilemma in The Crucible
“You will confess yourself or I will take you out and whip you to your death, Tituba!” - Parris (pg. 188, Act I)
- This is a good example of False Dilemma because Parris is basically telling Tituba that if she does not confess to witchcraft, she will be whipped to death. He only gives her those two options even though there could be multiple others in the situation.
“He would not answer aye or nay to his indictment; for if he denied the charge they’d hang him surely..” -Elizabeth (pg.235, Act IV)
- Here, Elizabeth is talking about Giles and the fact that he was silent when asked “aye or nay” for his testimony. The court gave him no option to explain himself.

6. “You will confess yourself or you will hang!”
“There is either obedience or the church will burn like Hell is burning!” - Parris (pg.181, Act I)
“…a person is either with this court or against it, there be no road in between.” -Danforth (pg.213, Act III)
“You will confess yourself or you will hang!”
- Danforth (pg. 225, Act III)
- All three of these examples from The Crucible show how the people of Salem’s options and choices were being limited. They “had to obey” or they “had to be with the court” or they “had to confess”. If they didn’t do one of these things they would be killed. They only had those options placed in front of them, but there were clearly many more to choose from.

7. Works Cited
Conover, Steve. "Austerity or Growth: A False Dilemma — The American Magazine." The American — The American Magazine. The American, June 2012. Web. 18 Apr. 2014. <
"xiamenwriting - False Dilemma." xiamenwriting - home. WikiSpace, 2014. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.